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TRANSACTIONS OF SECTION D. 869 
the assistance of Delegates from the Royal Agricultural Society, Royal Horticul- 
tural Society, Royal Botanic Society, Royal Dublin Society, and the Marlborough 
College Natural History Society, who held several meetings, and eventually drew 
up an elaborate report, which, curiously enough, upon re-examining after the lapse 
of sixteen years, seems to show that practically few of the Delegates approved of it, 
although from motives of politeness they allowed it to pass, Flowers and plants, 
insects, and birds were referred respectively to the Rev. T. A. Preston, Mr. 
McLachlan, and Professor Newton. Of plants the large number of seventy-one 
were recommended for observation, of insects only eight, and of birds seventeen. 
Mr. McLachlan, Professor Newton, Mr. Bell of Selborne, and Professor Thiselton- 
Dyer all expressed the opinion that the list should be kept as short as possible, and 
although the long list of plants was retained, it was resolved that special atten- 
tion be called to fifteen out of the seventy-one, by printing their names in capitals. 
The Royal Meteorological Society undertook the cost and trouble of preparing 
and issuing the necessary forms, and from 1875 to 1888, both inclusive, the Rey. 
T. A. Preston prepared and the Society printed annual reports embodying the 
results obtained. Mr. Preston found it impossible to continue the work, and Mr. 
E. Mawley took it up and prepared the report for 1889." 
He has, however, arrived at the same conclusion as the authorities already 
quoted, and his recommendation to reduce and simplity the observations has been 
accepted by the Council of the Royal Meteorological Society, which now desires 
to enlist as many observers as possible, all of whom are to work according to the 
form, of which copies are submitted for consideration. 
With this view the Council of the Royal Meteorological Society has endea- 
voured to obtain the assistance of the Corresponding Societies on the British 
Association list, and it is with the same object that the author has asked permission 
to bring these few words also before this Section. 
8. On the Floral Biology of Episcia maculata. 
By Professor Ff. W. Oliver. 
The subject of this communication was a plant recently sent over from British 
Guiana to this country, and which had first flowered at Kew in the summer of 
1888. It was, said the author, a climber with straggling habit, with many lurid 
waxen flowers two inches in length. The plant was remarkable in that its flowers 
were uever open, but the front lobe of the corolla was from the first folded back 
so as absolutely to close the throat like a cork. Nevertheless all the arrangements 
were such as were adapted for cross fertilisation, and this by the agency of some 
insect. The pollen and stigma were successively matured—the pollen being shed 
from the anthers before the stigma was ready for fertilisation. From the relative 
Positions of the parts, self-fertilisation was an absolute impossibility. At the base 
of the flower was a nectary of considerable size, which secreted a great amount of 
nectar into the spur of the corolla. An insect, probably a bee with a very long 
proboscis, visiting this flower for its honey, must be able to open the tightly fitting 
lid, and as it passed this organ to the nectar would remove some of the pollen, and 
subsequently visiting a somewhat more advanced flower would deposit some of this 
on the stigma. The arrangements which obtained, however, prevented the insect 
from depositing the pollen on the stigma of the same flower. Further, the lower 
portions of the stamens were modified into curious flanges which guided the pro- 
boscis to the nectar. Fruit was produced only by such flowers as were pollinated 
by hand. The ovaries of undisturbed flowers always died off without maturing 
seed. The seeds also show interesting structural peculiarities. The author con- 
sidered that without doubt careful search in its native habitats would lead to the 
discovery of some insect at once provided with a sufficiently long proboscis and 
acquainted with the means of opening the lid. A parallel case was presented by 
Darwin years ago in the orchid Angrecum sesquipedale, with its immensely long 
1 Mr. Symons distributed copies of the schedule; others can be had on applica- 
_ tion to Edward Mawley, Esq., Rosebank, Berkhampstead, Herts. 
